To Die, To Sleep, No More
by Alinnarel
Summary: Tali'Zorah is flung into the future by the Collectors, and forced to cope with the new reality around her. What perils await in this brave new world?
1. Chapter 1

Flames raged across the dark vacuum of space. As an intense laser fired across a small, unprotected ship, the crew raced across the decks like frenzied ants, unable to change the fate descending upon them. A tall man stood beside a radio console, screaming an SOS into the void, hoping that just maybe someone, somewhere would hear him. An Asari ran up to him, "Shepard!" she yelled through her suit radio, "Shepard! There's no time. This ship is going down and I'm not letting you go with it."

"Calm down, Liara," the man replied, "I can do this. If I just re-route power to the shields and FTL communications relay, we can get out of here alive." He flipped a switch on his helmet, and spoke into his radio, "Tali, I need you to boost the shields. If we can just hold them off a little longer, we might get out of here alright."

"Sorry, Commander, but we've taken too much damage. I'm heading for a shuttle and you should too. This is no time to–" A blast rocked the ship, and by the time Shepard got back on his feet, there was nothing but silence over the radio. Liara grabbed his arm and pulled him along, "She's gone, and if we don't go soon, we'll be dead too."

"Don't say that, she might not be dead there's still"

"Shepard!" she cut him off, "there's no time."

"I have to get Joker, he won't be able to make it to a shuttle on his own."  
"Alright, but hurry up. I could never stand to lose you, you're the only hope this ungrateful galaxy has."

She ran off towards the lower decks, and Shepard ran to the helm. Joker was trapped in a futile struggle to stop the ship from becoming another piece of rubble floating around the planet below. Shepard ran up, and ripped Joker out of his chair. Joker started to protest, but Shepard silenced him and ran for the nearest shuttle.

Tali panicked. The hit to engineering had fried her radio, and thrown her out of the hull. As she drifted across the empty recesses of space, her mind raced with the thought of her impending death. If not for her suit, she'd have already gone to the abyss, but even though she still remained alive, she knew it wouldn't be for long. She turned and watched the Normandy being destroyed, with other bodies drifting out across space – though they did so without movement. As the flaming husk of its former glory began turning into a descent at the planet below, Tali thought back on her memories with Shepard. She felt an intense pang of grief at the fact that she had never shared her feelings for him. Ever since he rescued her on the citadel, she knew he was the sort of man she would follow into the depths of hell itself, if it would make him happy. She was still a girl, and far too shy to say anything to him, but as she followed him across the galaxy, a quiet flame burned in her heart. She knew she would want to be with him forever.

On a ship floating off in the distance, the surviving crew of the Normandy escaped the Collector vessel. Shepard was not on board that ship. This was a fact of which Liara T'Soni was painfully aware. She had always been in love with Shepard, he was an object of fascination for her. A man with a strong enough will to withstand the force of a Prothean beacon, and yet the compassion to release the only living Rachni in the galaxy. Her only lingering regret was the pain of being too shy to say anything to him. Her mind filled with anguish at his death, the sight of his N7 armor drifting down to the planet below was too much for her. She wanted to curl up in a corner and cry, but she had to be strong. People were depending on her now.

Suddenly the drifting stopped. Tali had an uneasy feeling rising up in her stomach; something was clearly wrong. She blinked, looked both ways, and just as quickly as she had stopped, she was moving again. In another direction. Red light enveloped her, and she knew she was moving in the direction of the Collector ship. Time dragged on endlessly, and each passing second increasing the dread filling Tali's mind. In the distance, the SSV Normandy SR-1 finally crashed into the icy world below and Tali hoped that somehow Shepard survived. As she finally entered the hold of the Collector vessel, her last thought was of him.


	2. Chapter 2

A lone quarian sat on a distant planet. He had long since severed any ties with the flotilla, and rational thought. He paced up and down the small room he had called home for the past thirty years. His life's ambition neared fruition. His devotion to this project had become all consuming. He hadn't spoken to another living soul in all his time here, and in his desperation could no longer remember his own name. _Just a few more hours,_ he thought, _a few more hours and it can all be over_. Code scrolled across a computer monitor, and he plugged away endlessly at his omni-tool. _It's almost done. If I just… no, no, that won't do. I can't sit here any longer._ He walked towards the door, and stepped out onto the dimly lit planet before him. He strolled along the nearby path into his garden, the twin suns low in the evening sky.

He returned to his hovel as the second sun crossed under the horizon. The computer screen flashed black and white. It was done. He let out a loud sigh of relief, and began typing on his omni-tool. The code was done compiling, this great project was complete. _What now? _He pondered the implications of what he had done. _How do I proceed from here?_ He turned towards the window and stared into the night sky. Something dawned on him, and he sent the file through the communications network off to another planet. _ I never thought I could actually finish this… this monstrosity? No, that does not do it justice. This is a work of genius. This will be remembered in the annals of history for all of—._ The sound of a trigger interrupted his musing.

A human stood over the body. As he fumbled through the quarian's things, the golden logo on his suit arm glittered in the artificial light. The pockets were empty, and the room itself was sparse. The man cast his gaze across the room, from the bed, up to the single window and then to the computer sitting on a desk. _"_This place was more a prison than a home," he remarked aloud. He turned to the computer in hopes of finding what he had been sent to retrieve. The screen flashed a message: "FILE TRANSFER COMPLETE. DATA ERASED." The Cerberus operative slammed his fist onto the desk. He had failed again, and doubted the Illusive Man would give him another chance. "Another failure…" he said, "this is unfair. How dare he send me on these missions? Oh, what's the use…" He sullenly plodded back to his shuttle, back to the dim future that awaited him.

* * *

Shepard stood facing the Illusive Man. Sort of. He was in a communications room looking at a projection of the head of Cerberus. "What about my old team?" He asked, "I had good people. People I could trust."

"I'm sorry, Shepard, but they've all either moved on or died. You're going to have to trust the recommendations I give you."

"Alright, fine. One last question. What happens to Project Lazarus now that I'm back?"

"That doesn't concern you, but it's served its purpose. We don't need it anymore. We have you."

"Well then, I guess I better get going."

Shepard walked out of the room, downtrodden at the loss of his companions. Spending the past two years dead had caused everyone to drift off like dust in the wind. What most struck him, though, was the loss of Tali. He could still hear her last words, her voice cutting to static as the Normandy burned, just before she flew out into the abyss. The thought haunted him. She had never even finished her pilgrimage, instead dying under his command. _How many people dead because of me?_ He wondered. _Death seems to follow me like a shadow…_ He was interrupted by a familiar face, as Joker walked up with an excited grin.

* * *

Tali awoke to blackness. She struggled for a moment to remain conscious, but failed. She passed out into darkness. When she awoke again, she saw Collectors fidgeting around her. She screamed, but they didn't seem to notice. She tried to raise her hands, to do something to save herself, but they wouldn't move. She looked down, and saw that her hands were shackled to the walls of the pod she was in. Then she noticed the pod. The glass in front of her was so clear, it was nearly impossible to detect that anything was out of the ordinary. She struggled for several minutes at the bonds until a gas flooded the chamber, and she blacked out again.

Tali awoke for a third time, but now in a very different room. It was a large room with a low ceiling, and a large device in the center. From her vantage point against a wall, she couldn't see much of it and noticed nothing other than that it was pointed at her. A Collector paced across the room, checking monitors and dials. This one was different. It walked with an air of authority that the ones she had seen before lacked. It toyed with the controls for a few more minutes, and took no notice that Tali was now conscious. Or if it did, it certainly didn't care. A hologram appeared on the other side of the room, the image of a large metallic ship. Its very presence filled Tali with dread; she had seen something like it before on Virmire. The Collector turned to the hologram and began to speak, "Master, the preparations are complete. This subject is ready to serve our purpose." The reaper replied with the voice of a god. Low, sonorous, and a slow pace that implied it had all of the time in the universe. "Then let us proceed."


	3. Chapter 3

The Collector General pressed the big red button on the center of the control panel. The room became awash with red lights, and the air filled with alarm sounds. The Collector began to panic, and frantically pressed buttons. "There is an unexpected error," he yelled, "this cannot be. Losing control." The device at the center of the room began to power up. Tali, slightly unnerved, now noticed that it looked remarkably like a small version of a Mass Relay. The Reaper spoke from the hologram, "What is the meaning of this? You have failed me, minion. What of the control device implanted in her brain?"

"It has failed, master. She is useless to us now."

"Your pain will be eternal for this failure. You have robbed us of our chance to destroy Shepard, this is inexcusable. While crafty, he never would have expected one of his own crew to betray him. Terminate the program and test subject."

"Master, the controls are malfunctioning. We cannot stop it."

"I gave you an order. Manually shut down power if you must, this cannot—"

The reaper was interrupted mid sentence by a deafening roar. The device in the center had reached full power, and fired directly at Tali. The Collector was knocked back against a wall, but couldn't see anything through the smoke. When the air had finally cleared, it checked for its test subject. She had vanished.

* * *

Tali awoke again, fed up with blacking out, and attempted to examine her surroundings. Her vision was hazy, but she could hear indistinct voices bustling around her. The first thing she noticed was that she was standing. Something was wrong. _ A blast of that force should have knocked me clean off my feet… and where am I?_ As her vision cleared, she began to see the objects moving around her. Humans, turians, asari, krogans and various other species moved along the path. _Wait a minute, I know this place. This is… the Citadel… but that makes no sense, what happened to the Collector ship? It must have been that device_. Her last memory was the miniature Mass Relay firing at her, and now she was on the citadel. This seemed to be the most logical explanation. She walked through the crowds, gracefully darting between the various aliens wrapped up in their own lives. _This feels strange. It's the Citadel, but something isn't quite right…_ She saw a news screen in front of her, and decided to check it. A series of news clips flashed, all of them generic and uninteresting.

"Batarian slavers were captured today in the Terminus systems."

"Biotic extremists demand better treatment within Alliance military."

"Galaxy-wide holiday to mark the 400 year anniversary of Saren's defeat at the hands of Shepard will occur in one week."

_That can't be right._ She thought to herself and checked the date on the screen. The year read 2583. Tali froze. Her mind raced with all the possibilities of what could have happened, and she ran for the nearest merchant. She frantically yelled at him, "What year is it? Quickly!"

The Volus, paused for a moment, "What kind of *breathes* question is that? *breathes* Filthy Quarians, floating around *breathes* in space getting high on your drugs, *breathes* never buying any merchandise."

"Just answer the question."

"The year, if you *breathes* really must know, is *breathes* 2583. Now if you aren't going to buy anything, *breathes* get out of my store."

Tali wandered through the Citadel in a daze. She wished that this was all just a dream, that she could wake up and it would all be over. She stopped moving, unaware of how many hours had passed. She was standing outside a Tech store, and a thought occurred to her. She grabbed her omni-tool, and tried to access the extranet. Nothing. She walked into the store and up to the quarian clerk. "Excuse me," she said, "but I'm a bit out of it. Can I access the net with this?" She held her omni-tool up to the clerk, and he nearly jumped out of his chair.

"A genuine, ancient omni-tool?" His voice was slightly frenzied. "Do you have any idea what those are worth? I'll give you 500,000 credits for it."

Tali was slightly taken aback. That omni-tool had been with her since before she met Shepard, and was her last connection to him. But it was apparently useless now.

"Sure, take it. Do you have any updated models I could buy?"

"Buy, you can have the nicest one in the shop for no charge!"

She grabbed the credits and hooked the new omni-tool up to her suit. She sat down at a nearby bench and attempted to access the net again. Success. _Keelah, this is too much. What happened to Shepard?_ She quickly hacked into the Alliance database and found his file.

RESTRICTED ACCESS

Name: John Shepard

Rank: Lieutenant Commander

Born: 2154 CE

Deceased: 2196 CE.

Profile: Graduated N7, served on Normandy. First human Spectre, captained the Normandy. Defeated Saren at Battle of the Citadel. Narrowly escaped Collectors while on patrol. Defeated Reapers. Died of heart attack at age 42.

Married: Liara T'Soni, Deceased, Killed in action.

Living Survivors: None.

Tali breathed a sigh of relief upon learning that he had survived the Collectors and defeated the Reapers. But then an overpowering sense of grief swept over her, his death truly becoming real in her mind. She still couldn't believe she was somehow in another time. Somehow in the wrong time. Her eyes darted back to the end of the report. Married: Liara T'Soni. Tears welled up in her eyes. She had hoped that she and Shepard might have settled down together after everything was over, but it seemed that he had found happiness elsewhere. As she slowly sobbed on a park bench, grieving the loss of a friend and love, she drifted off into a sleep, a wandering quarian who had wandered a bit too far from home.


	4. Chapter 4

"Ma'am, you're going to have to move." Tali opened her eyes, and saw a C-Sec officer staring back at her through her visor. She got up, and smoothed out her clothing.

"We don't take kindly to vagrants, ma'am. Please refrain from this in the future."

"Alright, alright, I'm going…" she spoke groggily, and added under her breath, "bosh'tet." Tali walked through the crowded halls of the citadel. On an impulse, she found a bench to sit on and pulled out her omni-tool again. She took a deep breath, and accessed the Quarian database. She found her file, and thankfully there were almost no surprises. She was listed as presumed killed in action after the Collector attack on the Normandy, no living survivors. She looked, and saw that she had been awarded a medal for heroism for her efforts against Saren and the Geth. She immediately felt a pang of grief at the renewed thought of her time with Shepard. It all seemed so recent for her; it was disturbing to see it treated as ancient history everywhere around her.

As she browsed through the file on her history and her family, she noticed a news alert in a frame off to the side. "Alert, Migrant fleet attacked by Geth. Heavy damage. Any Quarians reading this to return to fleet immediately." She jumped. _Keelah! We haven't destroyed them yet? This war should have ended decades, if not centuries ago._ She felt the immediate need to aid her people, and ran towards the space port, darting between surprised aliens. Suddenly, she was on her back. She looked around to see what had happened, and noticed that she had slammed straight into another Quarian in a flamboyant orange environmental suit.

"You seem to be in a bit of a hurry, madamé, can I help you?" His tone was slightly mocking, and Tali was glad he couldn't see her blushing under her mask.

"I, um… oh, sorry, I just saw the message about the flotilla, I was on my way and I didn't see you there."

"No harm done, miss. I was heading there myself. Might I ask the pleasure of learning your name?" His tone still had a slight edge of mockery, as though he were holding some secret from her.

"I am…" she thought for a second. According to her file, her name was legendary. And for all she knew, the Rayya no longer existed. Tali'Zorah vas None. "I am Tali."

"A beautiful name for a beautiful woman."

Tali blushed even more, again thankful for the mask. Then she thought of Shepard, and her feelings for him renewed her innocent modesty.

"And what is your name, then?" She asked, dusting off his compliment.

He chuckled. "You may call me Col'Nalik vas Antares, captain of the same."

"If you are a captain, could I book passage on your ship to the flotilla? I am, well, I do not have a ship to call home."

"And what would you offer the Antares were I to take you with me? Your amusing innocence and charming demeanor account for nothing when I need competent people."

Tali was taken aback. "Of course I'm competent, do you think I could be where I am today with—" She stopped talking, as she noticed he was laughing at her.

"I was joking, Miss vas Antares. Now come on, we should be off."

Col turned with the surefooted elegance of a man who had been a fighter all his life. They walked back towards his ship in silence. Tali was engrossed in thought, in all the new possibilities that lay before her. The shock of waking up in another time was beginning to wear off, and she turned her mind to consider how she might get back. _But the fleet is in danger_._ I can't simply abandon them. _She realized that regardless of getting back to Shepard, she had to help her fellow Quarians. _I must spend some time figuring out what those Collectors did to me, but not until after the fleet is secure._

"Something on your mind?" Col asked.

"Oh, um, no. Nothing. Just sort of thinking about the fleet."

"Ah. Well, your chariot awaits."

Col swept his hand in a dramatic gesture towards a small frigate sitting in the docking bay.

"It's not the biggest ship," he remarked, "but she's been good to me, and I treat her like a lady."

He turned to Tali, and if not for the visor, she would have sworn he was winking at her. Tali glanced at the ship, and saw that Col was simply being modest. There were more guns than she could count, and while a small frigate, it had a sleek, streamlined exterior, not unlike the Normandy. Painted on the hull was a Geth's head, and underneath it a tally. The marks continued on along the entire side of the ship; quite a few killed. A wave of nostalgia washed over her. Col tapped his foot impatiently.

"Well, shall we go aboard? You seem surprisingly unhurried given the danger to the fleet."

The hint of mockery had been replaced by serious concern.

"I am sorry," Tali replied, "and ready to go, captain."


	5. Chapter 5

The Antares seemed much bigger on the inside, Tali noticed. She looked around, uninterested in the tour Col was giving her, simply noting the amount of space. She heard something about her quarters, and looked up. Col had opened a door to what must have been one of the largest rooms on the ship.

"… you'll be staying here, and your privacy will be fully respected by my crew."

_This room is enormous, you could fit two families in this space, and it's reserved for me?_ Tali realized that her lack of reply might be construed as rude.

"Thank you, this is very… generous. And where is your crew? I haven't seen any people other than us on board."

"A small crew for a small ship, and they mostly keep to themselves. You likely won't meet them until we eat, which is in a few hours, by the way. Is there anywhere else on the ship you might like an escort?"

The tone of playful mockery had returned to his voice. Tali couldn't tell if he was attempting to be flirty, or if he simply had a quirky attitude about him. She suspected it must be some of each, but was nervous about him flirting with her. She had tried to ignore any compliments he had given her, but now realized it would be difficult in close quarters.

"If you could show me engineering, I would appreciate it."

"But of course. This way."

He turned and walked towards the elevator, and they stepped in. Tali swallowed hard at the memory of conversations on elevators, back in the old days. She had to suppress a chuckle, as they tended to embarrass or frustrate her. _Oh great, another awkward elevator ride._ She thought. _I hope he doesn't start anything; I'm really not in the mood._

Thankfully they rode down the elevator in silence. Tali stepped out onto the engineering deck, and gasped. The engine was almost more sophisticated than she could have imagined. It took up nearly all of the deck, and the size and complexity made her stand there breathless.

"I'll leave you two alone." Col laughed and walked back into the elevator, and then he was gone.

Tali was staring intently at the warp core, checking readings on her omni-tool when she heard footsteps behind her. She turned abruptly to meet the face of a startled young human with a puzzled look on his face.

"Um, hello. Can I help you?" he asked. He spoke quickly and his voice was slightly timid.

"I'm just looking at the engine. Who are you?"

"I'm James. You must be Tali. I work with the drive core. Are you interested in it?"

Tali could tell he was slightly nervous. He was rubbing his hands together, and his voice seemed a bit strained.

"Are you all right?" she asked, "You seem worried."

"Hmm? No. Nothing. It's nothing. I'm fine. So, the engine, you seem interested?"

She noted the change in subject, but said nothing.

"I love engines, I spent my whole life working with them. This one seems amazing."

"I try to keep it in good condition," his nervousness had eased, "I love engines too. The idea that all of these little parts working together can propel a flimsy hunk of metal across the abyss of space fascinates me. It's brilliant, when you really think about it… but I'm rambling. I'm sorry, I tend to do that from time to time."

"No problem. I do have a question though. What can you tell me about Col'Nalik? He seems… enigmatic to say the least."

"He's a great man, strong resolve, treats his crew fairly, and has a whimsical exterior. But don't let that fool you. He's as hard as iron underneath. Serving under him has been an amazing experience; he commands respect that most people can only dream of."

Tali was about to press him further, but Col's voice filled the room over the intercom. He announced that it was now time for dinner, and that all crew should report to the mess hall.

James looked sheepishly at Tali, "Come on, we'd better head up there."

Tali took a seat at the table between James and Col, surveying the other crew. There were two Asari, who looked to be twins, and a Salarian with a scar over his eye. None of them seemed particularly concerned about the presence of Tali, and it gave her the feeling she wasn't the first person to be in this position. Col decided to break the silence.

"So, madamé, our Salarian friend is called Ralza, and the twins are Laetia and Beata."

Tali looked over at the three, but they showed no interest in her.

"H-Hello, it is nice to meet you all."

Ralza grunted, and the twins exchanged a glance, saying nothing.

After the meal, Tali returned to engineering. But she grew tired, and decided to research any information on Collectors and Mass Relay technology in her quarters. She bade James good night, and began to walk to her room. Along her way, she overheard Col's voice coming from behind a closed door.

"… I don't care about your opinion Ralza, this is more important than that."

"Captain, bringing her on board is a mistake. Did you even tell her what we are? What does she think? That this is some galactic cruise?"

"That's enough. The flotilla is in danger, and she needs to get there as much as I do. After that, I can't say. Remember that it's my decision and not yours. We're going to be arriving in a few hours, I recommend you get some sleep."

Tali moved deftly away from the door, and up towards her room. She went inside, shut the door and lay down on the bed. _Keelah, what have I gotten myself into…_ She saw how much her life had changed, how much the people around her had changed since Shepard. With thoughts of him, she drifted into sleep.


	6. Chapter 6

Tali was pleasantly surprised that she awoke on her own, with no guards, Collectors, or other interruptions disturbing her sleep cycle. She noticed that the ship engine was not running, and got out of bed. She opened her door, but couldn't see anyone in the hallways around her. She walked down to the mess hall, and found Col eating breakfast alone.

"Have we docked? What's the status of the flotilla?"

"Good morning to you, too. Yes, and fine. The Geth were beaten back a few hours before we arrived, and peace has been re-established."

"Oh, that is good. I'm sorry I was so hasty, but… it was urgent news to me."

"Of course. We leave here in a few hours. You're welcome to come with us, or stay with the flotilla."

"I think I'll go look around before I make any decisions."

"Very well. And Tali, I know you overheard what I said to Ralza last night. You aren't very subtle when running away from a door. But I want you to know, we aren't bad people, just mercenaries. You seem like a nice girl, and that worries some of the crew. Profit always comes first, and nice people tend to have issues dealing with that. Now I suggest you go down to the liveship and make your decision."

Tali turned away in silence, mulling over what Col had said. _This man is no Shepard, but I don't have anyone else in the galaxy left for me. But a mercenary? Some things should always take precedence to money._

She walked out of the room, and into the airlock of the ship. She didn't pass any of the crew on the way, but didn't really expect to at this point.

The flotilla was bustling with activity. Tali walked onto what appeared to be one of the larger ships, but she couldn't recognize it. Other Quarians hurried around, checking their omni-tools, some sat crying with their families, recovering from the loss of the recent attack. Tali maneuvered through the crowds, attempting to find some source of information on exactly what had happened. She managed to find a news terminal, and looked up the reports. Seven ships had been lost, fifteen other ships had been damaged, and the death toll was currently unable to be established. She felt an overwhelming sense of grief and the plight of her people. _Four hundred years later, and we're still fighting these things. Keelah, why is this happening?_

Tali continued her walk through the ship, and saw several of her people crowded around part of the ship. She could hear them arguing,

"No, no, that's not right, we need to thread the fuel lines through here!"

"Are you kidding, that will get all of us blown to pieces?"

"Keelah, you're all wrong! We need to reverse the polarity of the neutron flow!"

Tali stepped over, and interrupted the arguing.

"Excuse me, could I take a look at what you're doing?"

"We are attempting to repair this engine, but these other bosh'tets don't know what they're talking about."

Another Quarian yelled, "What are you talking about, you're doing it all wrong!"

Tali interrupted before they could argue any further.

"Let me take a look at this."

She brushed them aside and walked up to the portion of the wall they were surrounding. She saw part of a circuit panel exposed, and began analyzing it with her omni-tool. The circuitry was very similar to what she had seen in her own time, and was able to identify the problem quickly.

"You see this linkage here? It should be plugged in at this slot, over here."

They moved the linkage, and the error message on the display vanished.

"Thank you, I can't believe none of us saw that. What did you say your name was?"

"Oh, um. I didn't."

Tali walked away quickly, realizing that any attention she drew might prove to be unwanted. As she considered this fact, a Quarian wearing an all black environmental suit with a black tinted visor walked up to her.

He looked her up and down, checked his omni-tool, and said, "Excuse me, ma'am, but the admiralty board would like to see you."

Tali started to ask who he was, but he had turned around and started to walk away. She followed, attempting to get his attention, but he wouldn't respond to her. She followed him through the crowd, wondering what the board could want with her—she was an unknown quantity to them. The other Quarian abruptly stopped, and she nearly bumped into him as he opened a door.

"In here." His tone was brusque, but not quite rude. As though this were purely business for him. He stood holding the door for her with a guarded posture. Commanding, but not threatening. He appeared to be some sort of special ops agent, but nothing Tali knew about from her time. _I guess things change a lot in four hundred years_.

Tali entered the small room, and noticed that it had no windows, and a door on either side of the room. _What could this room be used for. It doesn't look like anything bad will happen, there's just a podium and a dais, but why all the secrecy? What could they possibly want from me?_ She stood at the podium in front of her, and waited for the admirals to come in and fill the dais opposite her.


	7. Chapter 7

The admirals filed in from the door on the other side of the room, and took their places at the dais. The first one spoke.

"I am Admiral Nora'Maval vas Rayya. You must be wondering why you have been brought here, and we would like to take a moment to explain some things to you. You were scanned on arrival, and we know who you are. Tali'Zorah nar Rayya is a legend among the Quarian people and…"

Another admiral interrupted.

"Nora, get to the point, this meeting is not about pleasantries."

"That is Admiral Sharon'Nalik vas Cormantine, and he raises a good point. I dally too much. We have summoned you here, to ask you to leave the flotilla."

Tali stood dumbstruck, and responded with a stammer, "Wait, what? W-why? W-what could I have possibly done? I am no harm here!"

It was Sharon that responded.

"You are an impossibility. We had a hard enough time accepting you were alive, but our computer scans were accurate. Knowledge that you still live could incite panic in the people. We cannot allow that to happen, and are asking you to leave."

"We don't want to seem cruel," Nora added, "but you have to understand. This kind of knowledge could be dangerous. We're politely asking you to leave, for the good of the fleet."

Tali was still dumbfounded.

"How can you say this to me?" Tears were streaming from her veiled eyes. Her voice was slightly cracked. "I could help the fleet, your records should show that I was a good engineer! I could…" Her voice trailed off as she noticed that the admirals did not change their body posture.

Tali started up again, with a nearly unknown spark of anger, thinking of what Shepard might do.

"This isn't really about me, is it? This is about the Geth attacks. People are afraid, and any undue suspicion might set them over the edge. This whole hearing is a sham!"

Sharon laughed at her attempted intimidation, and she felt like a little girl.

"Our decision stands, Tali'Zorah. Remove yourself from the flotilla as swiftly as possible. You are only to be allowed to return in times of great peril. Good day."

He spun around, and walked out of the room with the other Admirals in tow. Tali stood alone in the room, tears flooding her eyes yet again. _What has happened to my people?_ She sheepishly stared at the wall and contemplated. _Have we really gone this far? Or is it just the admirals? Three of them said nothing at my trial. Nothing. Either they didn't care, or didn't have the power to oppose Sharon and Nora. But the people themselves… They seem the same as when I left. Good people. I can't turn my back on them because of a few bosh'tets in power._

Tali walked out of the room, having regained some measure of composure. She glanced longingly at the ship around her, wishing she could stay. The plants and trees growing all around her seemed so peaceful, a lost world she could never reclaim. A realization hit her. She had nowhere else to go but back to Col. _Wait… Col'Nalik? He is the Admiral's son? Keelah, what have I gotten myself into. A mercenary and the son of an admiral… this is a strange combination. _She didn't really want to work with the mercenaries, but James seemed nice enough, and Col treated her well. Ralza she could do without, and the twins were still enigmatic. _I can deal with this. Provided Ralza doesn't try to kill me in my sleep…_ She plodded slowly back to the Antares, this time unfocused on the world around her. She was lost in nostalgic thought, and beginning to come to terms with how much her life had changed.

She walked into the ship to find Col leaning against a wall with his arms folded.

"So I hear you met my father today." His tone was entirely serious.

"How could you possibly know about that?"

He snorted. "I have contacts all over the flotilla. I can't let important information slip by. Additionally, my contacts revealed to me who you are, and your identity is safe with me, Miss Tali'Zorah."

"You don't know how much I appreciate that… Thank you."

If she could see past his helmet, she would have sworn he was grinning. He spoke again, but the playful mockery had returned, "So then! Off on a series of dashing adventures with us, are you? Racing across the galaxy in dangerous missions, the promise of thrill and adventure lurking around every corner. A daring space epic, a quest for treasure and glory, to have our names etched across the stars! We could be legends, or we may die in a blaze of glory! The excitement is in the uncertainty. Will you join us? For fame and profit? Or will you choose the humdrum and boring routines of another ship? The choice is yours, Tali'Zorah, and I humbly offer it to you!"

Tali was shocked. She had seen glimpses of this daringly gallant side of him in their conversations, but never in this extreme amount. She hesitated for a moment, carefully considering her reply.

"I… should get down to engineering."


	8. Chapter 8

Tali sat in the mess, eating breakfast with James. She had just about given up hope of ever befriending the other crew members, as they still refused to do so much as look at her. James was rambling on about something about the engine, but Tali was absorbed in her own thoughts. Her life had changed so much in the past week that she was finding it difficult to adjust. Her searches for the technology used to send her to this time all turned up blank, and she was beginning to lose hope that she could ever return.

Col interrupted her musings. "Well, it appears we have a job."

James looked up at him quizzically, "What kind? Salvage? Clean-up? Delivery?"

"Let me stop you there, it's a simple package retrieval. Our client has… misplaced a crate on a colony in Terminus space, and is presently unable to retrieve it. That's our job."

Tali spoke up.

"What do you mean 'misplaced'? Are we really going to go steal this?"

Col burst into laughter.

"Tali, you've got a lot to learn if you want to survive in these parts of space. We need money, and he has a job. That's about as simple as it gets."

Tali silently considered this, unwilling to admit that he might even be partially right.

"The job should be a fairly simple one," Col droned on, "there will likely be a few local mercs, but nothing we can't handle. We'll be arriving in a few hours. I suggest you make sure your guns are in working conditions."

Tali walked out of the room, leaving James by himself at the table. She went in to her quarters, and began to polish her shotgun. _This feels wrong. With Shepard, everything was for some greater purpose. This is just greedy slaughter._

They landed on the planet, and stepped out of their shuttle. A thought suddenly occurred to Tali.

"Col," she asked, "if we're here, who's piloting the ship?"

Ralza snickered.

Col glared at him, and replied, "It's all AI driven."

A shudder ran down Tali's back, and she dropped the subject at once.

The planet they stood on was dull and lifeless. A town lay before them, and nothing else as far as the eye can see, save for an enclosed compound just north of the town. Deserts rolled off in all directions, with the occasional solitary cactus breaking the emptiness.

"Who would want to colonize this hellhole?" Tali was surprised to find that James had asked the question.

No answer was given, as Col scanned the horizons and the other crew remained aloof. He pulled out binoculars, scanned the distant buildings, and turned towards the group.

"According to our employer, the package should be on the far side of that compound. We best be moving."

There was a sense of seriousness in his voice that seemed foreign and forced. As though years of a harsh life and environment had taken the gallant man and molded him into steel.

They trudged along the pathless wasteland until they reached the walls of the compound. A gate stood open, but on either side stood human heads on stakes. Tali shuddered again at the cruelty of the mercenaries inside. They passed over the threshold, and were greeted with the unexpected.

A mercenary with his legs folded into a figure four and his arms splayed out to either side. His face was painted in an ornate manner, and he had precise patterns cut into him all along his exposed chest and arms.

Col broke the silence, "It seems that this just got a lot more complicated…"

Several clicks could be heard as everyone drew their weapons, and carefully paced through piled up crates and buildings. They spotted a second body, positioned in the exact same manner as the first. Then they spotted a third, and fourth, and fifth , and then they entered a large clearing in the clutter. Tali gasped in shock. _Keelah, there must be fifty bodies here… All the same._ She looked over at James, and his face was pale and lined with sweat. He looked as though he were on the verge of emptying his stomach.

Col coughed, and spoke up, "Alright, we have no idea what we're facing here… Ralza, you take James and Tali and check out the left side of the compound, the twins and I will go right."

Ralza grunted, and started walking off, clearly not pleased with the turn of events. Tali quickly moved to follow, with James in tow.

As they passed through the crates littering the area, Ralza said his first words to Tali.

"I don't like you. But I've got your back, and I expect you to have mine. If you see anything out here, let me know."

Tali was somewhat taken aback, "Fine." She felt the reply was inadequate, but wasn't able to come up with anything else, and kept moving.

A few minutes later, James stopped dead in his tracks.

"Guys, I think I saw movement. Over there, it ducked around that building. Looked humanoid, but I'm not sure. We should probably take cover."

"James, if it went around the building, we go after it, not take cover…" Ralza's tone was patronizing, and gave the impression he had chided James for this far too many times.

Ralza crept up to the wall of the building, and quickly checked around the corner. Nothing. He looked back at James, signaled that the coast was clear, and walked further forwards. A battle cry pierced the air, and Tali spun to see a human standing on a rooftop. It ran away, going further into the compound. She moved to follow him, but heard a gurgling noise, and turned to see that James had been impaled by a spear.


End file.
